New study suggests sleep loss causes brain damage

A new study suggests that not enough sleep could cause damage to your brain.

According to BBC, the study watched how mice reacted to being forced to stay awake over night and not getting much sleep. The mice got an occasional nap, but would then be woken up for an undetermined amount of time.

After several days of study, researchers found that the mice lost about 25% of their brain cells in part of the stem. Specifically, researchers found damage in the part of the brain that deals with alertness and reaction time, or the locus coeruleus.

In relation, humans have the potential to also lose brain cells if they are not getting enough sleep. More research needs to be done to determine how much permanent damage humans are at risk of.

CNN reports that researchers hope to use their studies to develop some type of medication over the next few years to assist with the effects of lack of sleep.